EU leaders to debate subsequent steps on power, Ukraine By Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU nation leaders will focus on how one can step up help for Ukraine and their joint subsequent steps to tame hovering power costs after they meet on Friday.

In a gathering invitation letter to EU leaders revealed on Sunday, European Council President Charles Michel referred to as for a agency EU response to latest developments, together with Russia declaring the annexation of 4 areas of Ukraine on Friday.

“At our assembly we’ll focus on how one can proceed offering sturdy financial, army, political and monetary help to Ukraine for so long as it takes,” stated Michel, who chairs conferences of EU nation leaders.

Russia’s proclaimed annexation got here after Moscow held what it referred to as referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine. Western governments and Kyiv stated the votes breached worldwide legislation and had been coercive and non-representative.

The EU leaders’ gathering in Prague can even produce steerage to Brussels on the subsequent steps the EU ought to take to handle hovering power costs, Michel stated.

“Our main goal is to make sure that we assure safety of provide and inexpensive power for our households and companies, significantly because the winter chilly approaches,” he stated.

EU nations’ power ministers adopted a recent set of insurance policies on Friday to aim to tame excessive power prices, together with windfall revenue taxes on power companies.

However states are divided over what to do subsequent – with many calling for an EU-wide cap on gasoline costs, however others, together with Europe’s financial powerhouse Germany, opposed.

Leaders can even focus on on Friday how one can defend their essential infrastructure. Unexplained ruptures final week within the Nord Stream pipelines within the Baltic sea, designed to convey gasoline from Russia to Europe, have promtped some nations to ship within the army to safe doubtlessly weak power programs.